African Voices, African Lives: Personal Narratives from a Swahili Village [Paperback]

Pat Caplan (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 23, 1997 | ISBN-10: 0415137241 | ISBN-13: 978-0415137249 | Edition: 1

African Voices, African Lives explores the world of 'Mohammed', a swahili peasant living on Mafia Island, Tanzania. Through his own words - some written, some spoken - and those of his relatives, including his ex-wife and one of his daughters, he enables us to see the world through his eyes, including the invisisble world of spirits which plays a significant role in his life. This information is gathered by Pat Caplan, the anthropologist, over almost three decades of talking and writing to each other. She acts not only as translator and editor, but also as interpreter, bringing in her own knowledge gathered from field data as well as comparative material from other anthropological work.
By utilising a mixture of styles - narrative and life history, ethnographic observation, and the diary kept by Mohammed at the anthropologist's bequest, African Voices African Lives will make an important contribution to current debates in anthropology by grappling with issues raised by 'personal narratives', authorial authority, and with refexivity.

Editorial Reviews

Review

In this book, Caplan offers a nuanced response to the 'crisis of representation' loudly decried in the mid-1980s that problematized ethnographic author-ity and advocated the decolonization of anthropological writing. Relinquishing authorship to those whose voices had been captured and squeezed into theoretical models irrespective of fit offered an ethical solution, it was argued, to the problem Journal of Asian And African Studies.
...the book remains an exciting experiment in ethnographic representation and provides a vivid glimpse into the lives of three complex and often contradictory Swahili individuals.
–Africa Today, July-Dec, 1998

About the Author

Pat Caplan is Professor of Anthropology at Goldsmith's College, University of London, and is author of Gendered Fields (1993).

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (March 23, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415137241
• ISBN-13: 978-0415137249
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,682,850 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good book for anthropology students/ if interested in Africa, December 21, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: African Voices, African Lives: Personal Narratives from a Swahili Village (Paperback)

This book is a very interesting read if you are interested in the culture of East Africa, are studying anthropology or are thinking of travelling in the region. Pat Caplan writes the book in easy to understand language making it accessible to all and the life history of her key subject, Mohammed, who lives on Mafia Island off the Tanzanian mainland is fascinating. Because she has studied and visited the island on several occassions she has developed a close relationship with him, and so s is able to really get to grips with life on the island. It was her changing relationship with him and other members of his family that most interested me and her book is definately one of the most interesting in depth writings on East Africa.